Thursday, July 30, 2009

I have so many deadlines to meet starting tomorrow. I'm taking it easy but I think I should be able to finish on time.

The plumber is at my house restoring the bathroom in the guest room (paip pecah!). It has been two weeks already and they are still not done yet. I'm getting quite pissed. This morning I told the guy to finish it all up today, by hook or by crook. I can't stand the mess anymore and I want to do up the guest room properly. I hope when I go home today, I'll have a brand new bathroom downstairs.

My mum had an eye operation on Monday at UH (I never knew UH ada Specialist Centre). It was quite a major operation as she had a retina detachment. Alhamdulillah.. it was successful. She's recovering now but as part of the post-operation, she has to keep her head down for 10 days. Head down, 10 days. In between, bolehlah break for 10 minutes, but that's all. This is to keep the retina in place. She finds it quite hard to do that at first, but I think now, she's managing it quite well.

Anyway, let's not talk about serious stuff. I don't want to worry too much for now.

Last Saturday, we attended a kenduri tahlil for MrNordin’s late uncle. It has been 100 days already… how time flies. I was so tired from the running around during the day that we decided to leave as quickly as possible. Plus the heat… oh my God, it was so hot that Saturday night!

But on the way back, we decided to stop by for coffee. I wanted some place cold, with full blast air-condition. Then I remember Royale Chulan, a new hotel in town, where I attended the company’s management meet recently. It’s a nice posh hotel, but what I remember mostly is the air-cond. It’s very cold! So I said to my husband, let’s go there!

The hotel lobby was quite empty when we arrived, maybe because it was still early (10pm) plus the fact it is a new hotel. We scouted for places to sit down when we saw, right at the end of the lobby, there was this notice saying, “Alleycats playing tonight.”

What? Alleycats? We could hear drums beating from inside the club and when we enquired, true indeed, Alleycats was performing that night. However, the gentleman at the door nicely informed us that, “Datuk David tak ada tonight. He’s performing at the PM’s house.”

Oh well… it doesn’t really matter, does it? We were looking for coffee. “Do you serve coffee here?”, I asked. “Sure we do”, he said. So ok, we’re in then.

I’m not really a big fan of Alleycats but I like their songs. And I know they are a good band, so I used to follow their gigs when they were playing at Uncle Chili’s PJ Hilton and Blue’s Café at Lot 10, di suatu masa dahulu.

That night, we sat at the bar listening to Alleycats while sipping our lattes. Even without David and Loga, they are still great. The new guy who sang that night was pretty awesome himself. Just like the Strollers, the band members are really cool dudes!

Their repertoire includes songs from the 70’s and 80’s, something which will not fail to make you smile when you hear the familiar tunes. Some people were dancing, I refrained myself from doing so because I was clad in a baju kurung (I was from a kenduri, remember?)

A "Datin" was celebrating her birthday that night. It was so nice to see her and her group of friends & family dancing on the dance floor without any cares for this world. That’s how it should be..

We stayed for two sets and was about to leave when I saw David Arumugam walking in! He just came back from the PM’s house where he entertained the "birthday boy” along with Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherji who were especially flown in from India (they did a dance routine, I was told).

How could I leave when David was there, right? So I we decided to order another round of drinks and stayed on for the last set.

It was worth the wait. He sang several of Alleycats’ greatest hits including “Sekuntum Mawar Merah”, “Senyumlah Kuala Lumpur” and “Andainya Aku Pergi Dulu”. His voice is still the same after all this years. Just like in the record!

Btw, he said “Hi” to me as I passed by. Hee.. hee… cheap thrill!

Anyway, I had a lovely evening. So impromptu like that, with my husband, and I like it.

So, if you were looking for a nice place to chill with good music and good coffee, head to the Heritage Club at The Royale Chulan. Alleycats play there every night from 10pm onwards, Mon-Sat. You won’t regret it!

Friday, July 24, 2009

I had a nice birthday treat last night from MrNordin. He took me to Mandarin Oriental for dinner.

We dined at the Pacifica. We used to frequent this place before, masa zaman2 sebelum Nizzar, but after the baby, we just stopped going because the place is not particularly child-friendly. It's more conducive for business meetings or intimate dinners.

Plus the meals are a bit pricey. For special occasions like this, ok lah. Tapi kalau nak bawa satu gerabak keretapi, alamat botaklah kepala husband I which is already so botak!

Pacifica used to be a fusion restaurant before, specializing in Japanese and Italian fine cuisines. But it has recently been transformed into a stylish seafood restaurant with an intimate setting, carrying a price tag of RM110 for a small meal of cod fish and couscous! I thought it was exorbitant!

But as the night carried on, I realised we were not only paying for the meal, but also for the ambience and great service.

As you go down the steps that lead you to the restaurant, you’ll find yourself surrounded by sphere-like fish bowls and floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which make you feel as if you’re dining under the sea. The tables and chairs have that Moorish influence and are set on sheer, curtained alcoves ~ very exclusive and trendy.

The staff made the dining experience more worthwhile. Ever so courteous, they adressed you by your name: "Would you like some more water, Mr Nordin?" "How's the food, Mr Nordin?" "Are you done, Mr Nordin?"

And there were a lot of “extras” like complimentary entrees from the chef, yummy chocolate pralines to savour with coffee, and surprise! Surprise! A complimentary baguette, nicely packed in a crisp paper bag to bring home for tomorrow’s breakfast! I thought that was a very nice gesture!

The food was delicious (it had to be!). We both had the fish. I had cod, MrNordin had the halibut. There were having this truffle promotion, but we didn't order any of those because it was very expensive.

We stayed on until quite late, talking about the kids, work and us. By the time the bill arrived, it was almost midnight and we were the only ones left ! Always like that when you’re having fun, right?

Before we took our leave, I asked my husband, "What's the damage?" I was feeling quite worried if the bill had cost him a bomb. With a smile, he answered, “No matter what amount it was, having you here with me is worth much more than that...."

Monday, July 20, 2009

The first weekend without the girls was quiet. We spent Saturday morning having breakfast in front of the TV, watching AFC while sipping coffee. That is something which we haven’t done in a long, long time!

Usually, Saturday morning will be filled with activities starting from breakfast at one of the mamak restaurants and marketing at the pasar tani. The pasar tani will keep us occupied the whole morning. We never have breakfast at home on Saturdays, so last Saturday was a nice change. It was bread and cheese instead of roti canai and kari.

In the afternoon, I went out to Ampang Point with MrNordin to buy some stuff. We left the boys at home, so it was a relief to be able to browse the shops without having to chase after the little boy, who loves to tag along whenever we go out. He screamed, of course, when he saw us leaving without him, but we left anyway.

We spoke & texted Nadira a couple of times during the weekend. She seemed to be having fun. Her meals have been mostly consisted of Indian food ~ vegetarian, briyani and such, which she loves to eat. Malay food tak banyak, she said, but adalah ulam and sambal.

When I was there, I saw two Chinese stalls selling chicken rice and noodles. The chicken rice was not bad. But my only complain is, the dining hall ada banyak lalat! I don’t understand why. At Nabila’s matrics college in Gopeng dulu pun ada banyak lalat at the cafeteria. It was difficult to eat because you have to compete for space with the flies!

I just hope the students won’t get sick or food poisoning. There must be a rubbish dump or factories nearby. At the hostel tak ada pulak, only at the dining area. Does anyone know why?

Back at home, the two boys have been quarrelling with each other because they only have each other to fight with now. That day, they were fighting over which toys belonged to who.

Nadim was trying to salvage his headless monsters whereas Nizzar was trying to rescue his limbless Ultramen. I think this is going to be a common feature from now on.

Very early this morning, MrNordin has left for JB. So there’s just 4 of us at home now ~ me, the maid and the two boys. It’s gonna be pretty lonely tonite but I’ll see what I can do to beat the boredom.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

For some strange reasons, I miss Sg. Petani. Is it because of the warm people or is it because of its serenity? Is it because of the good food or is it because of the picturesque beauty? Or is it because I miss that girl with the curly hair and sweet smile?

Late yesterday evening, Nadira waved us goodbye from the door of her new flat at AIMST. She looked happy and I was glad she has finally settled down at the new place.

I was doing pretty well when I left her at the door, but the moment I walked away, right on the 3rd floor of the 5-storey apartment, I broke down and cry. My husband held me in his arms and told me not to cry. He held my hand tightly as we walked down to the car.

Tears were streaming down my cheeks uncontrollably as I thought of the good times we've had together, laughing and doing many silly things at home. Ahh… goodbye is such a hard thing to do! I’m never good at it.

So goodbye Nadira, you shall be missed by everyone at home. Take care of yourself and here’s hoping you’ll have the best of times with your new friends and place. Kalau makan banana leaf rice, ingat we all kat sini, ok?

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

I just finished watching another set of Michael Jackson's music videos. Since the day he passed away, people in my house have been glued to the TV watching him dance and sing, every day. Even Nizzar has taken a liking for Thriller and Beat It, and can imitate some of the more famous moves.

The more I watch his videos, the more fascinated I become of this extraordinary human being that is known worldwide as the King of Pop. Indeed, the title belonged to him and him alone.

What is so amazing about MJ is that he is such a great performer and a fantastic dancer. I can watch his videos again and again and yet, I won't get tired of it. I can still watch Billie Jean tomorrow and still find something new that will captivate my attention and I'll get hooked. How many artists have that same effect on us?

None.

I enjoy watching Madonna too, be it her music videos or concerts, but the effect is not the same. For one, Madonna cannot sing. She is a good performer, no doubt, but her moves are nothing compared to MJ's. Plus, she's full of controversy. It's either you love her or you hate her.

But with MJ, it's different. It's just pure dancing and good music. This guy can really dance! And he's amazing! Put aside his fascination for weird stuff like altering his face or naming his youngest child "Blanket", I think he's a brilliant performer.

I think when you are so famous, something's gotta give. You can't have the best of both worlds. Just like Diana, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe... they were famous and were adored by millions around the world and yet they were not happy. Ironically, they all died a sudden death, just like MJ. And that is so sad.

For those who have nothing good to say about him, just save your comment to yourselves. Let him rest in peace. Calling him a "low life" and a "pervert" after his passing is uncouth especially from a politician who is running for the US Senate.

I also read in the weekend newspaper a small article written by a local wartawan hiburan. She said, she doesn't understand why people are so crazy over MJ. To her, he is not that great because if you stripped down all the props and equipment used in his music videos and concerts, he is nothing. She's all for "good singing talent" because to her, if you are a good singer, "menyanyi di padang pun sedap..."

How shallow is her thinking. Malas nak komen.

Today mark the day when the world makes its final send-off to MJ. He will be buried at Forest Lawn, California followed by a memorial service at Staples Centre thereafter.

Despite what people say, he will be remembered for his music and talent that have touched many hearts over the last four decades.